Be Prepared For The Worst: Love, Anticipated Loss, And Environmental Valuation

C h r ist op h e r W . Youn g. M E T A M O R P H O S IS . 1995. O il on board . 48" x 24". From U tah Pain tin g an d Sculpture. W it h perm ission by G ib b s- Sm it h Publish er. “B e P r e p a r e d f o r t h e W o r s t ”: L o v e , A n t ic ip a t e d L o s s , a n d E n v ir o n m e n t a l V a l u a t i o n S c o t t S l o v i c I liv e fo r a u t u m n . A ll y e ar lo n g 1 h a v e r e v e r ie s o f t h o se c o o l b e a u t ifu l d a y s t o c o m e , a n d m e m o r ie s o f O c t o b e r s p a st . It is t h e m o st a liv e , t h e m o st h e a r t b r e a k in g ly r e a l se a so n in m y b o n e s. — Jo h n N ic h o ls, T h e L a st B e au t if u l D ay s o f A u t u m n (1 9 8 2 ) I w r it e as t h o u g h t h e r e w e re n o so r r o w lik e m y sorrow . — H a r r ie t B e e c h e r St o w e , le t t e r t o h e r h u sb a n d (1 8 4 9 ) “ Be p r e p a r e d fo r t h e w o r st .” “I liv e fo r a u t u m n .” T h e sa m e p a r a d o x o p e r a t e s in e a c h o f t h e se e x p r e ssio n s. W h a t d o e s it m e a n t o e x ist in a st a t e o f r e a d in e ss— t o b e p r e p a r e d — fo r so m e t h in g , a d e c lin e o r a n a b se n c e , n o t y e t e x p e r ie n c e d ? H o w d o w e e v e r k n o w t h e t r u e d e lic a c y o f e x ist e n c e , t h e fr ailt y o f a life h a n g in g o n fr o m b r e a t h t o b r e a t h , t h e su b t le b e a t o f a h e a r t ju st b o r n a n d n o w d y in g? * Se p t e m b e r 8 , 1 9 9 4 “ Be p r e p a r e d fo r t h e w o r st .” I a m n e v e r p r e p a r e d fo r t h e w or st. W h a t I w a n t is t o h o ld a n d lo v e a n...